Irving Rappaport and Playback Theatre present
Hit Me!
Jud Charlton in Hit Me! Photograph: Tristram Kenton
The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury
Written and Directed by Jeff Merrifield
Technical Director: Des O’Leary
Courtyard Theatre
27 November – 13 December, 2008
 ary Couzens
A review by Mary Couzens for EXTRA! EXTRA!
This compelling production has, obviously, been created with great love of its subject matter by playwright Jeff Merrifield. For through Merrifield’s attentive direction, Hit Me! has been brought to rivetingly vivid life through its two actor cast: Jud Charlton, who is simply, awe-inspiring as turbulent punk/post punk rock icon Ian Dury and Josh Darcy who provides realistically precarious counter balance as Dury’s friend, minder and sometime roadie Fred ‘Spider’ Rowe.
As a wordsmith and lyricist of incredibly biting and witty insight who originated from a middle-class background in Harrow, but facetiously professed to be from Essex and incorporated his love of East End street humour into his songs, Ian Dury, who suffered from the effects of childhood polio all his adult life, and met an untimely end from cancer in 2000, remains unsurpassed in the annals of mid to late 1970’s and ‘80’s Rock n Roll History. One of Dury’s most undisputed claims to fame, is, without doubt, that he is credited with putting the timeless phrase, ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll’ into the public consciousness with the success of his 1977 single of the same name. However, re-examining his colourful cannon yields much to marvel and, smile at, as emphasized here by the ‘live’ performances of Dury’s work which Jud Charlton so amazingly, and, accurately enacts, among them the aforementioned ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll,’ ‘Hit Me! (With Your Rhythm Stick), ‘Sweet Gene Vincent,’ and the gloriously cheeky ‘Reasons to Be Cheerful,’ sending chills up collective fans’ spines in the process, I’m sure. However, for me, Dury’s crowning moment of electrifying defiance was personified by his ever-glorious and, brave ‘Spasticious Autisticous’, which Charlton performs here with much of the fiery intent of its original interpreter. ‘I’m the first raspberry sex symbol,’ Charlton as Drury smiles and judging by audience reaction, fans of the real Ian Dury overwhelmingly agreed wholeheartedly!
Part one of Hit Me! finds the pair at friendly odds in ‘Catshit Mansions,’ Drury’s affectionate name for his 1980 feline friendly digs in Kennington, while Part 2 revisits the duo upon the occasion of their reconciliation circa 1990 in Digby Mansions, Hammersmith, with the final act taking place after Drury’s death in 2000. An interlude between Parts 1 and 2 entitled ‘The Year of the Disabled – 1981’ sheds light on the ridiculously condescending roots of today’s political correctness, Thatcher style. The dialogue of the play is superbly rudimentary, and entirely appropriate to the love/hate relationship of those speaking it. Charlton’s Dury is a lovable rogue, who’s clearly feels the runt of the litter, and always expects those being baited to understand where’s he’s coming from, by understanding where he’s been. In case they forget, his speech is peppered with references to his childhood, much of which was spent in a Craft School for Disabled Children where ‘if you fell over, they left you there.’ While Charlton as Dury muses that he guessed the experience ‘toughened you up,’ the audience is left in no doubt of that fact in relation to his character. Charlton’s portrayal is made even more excruciatingly heart stirring by the level of vulnerability he continually exudes, while simultaneously expending bags of energy to hide it, even during his character’s tougher and/or more superficial moments, creating an immediate understanding of Dury’s duality as well as his lethal charm. Josh Darcy as Spider is caustically guarded in self defence, and it is also, immediately understood why, thanks to the depth and unwavering warmth of his performance and the two actors’ insightful portrayal of their troubled but nonetheless strong friendship. Merrifield has provided an excellent grounding for his characters through their knowing dialogue and his intelligent directing of their totally credible enacting of it. The personal dilemmas that fame presents and the clashes it creates between who you actually are and who you think you are come under unrelenting scrutiny under the glare of Merrifield’s pen. It wasn’t surprising to learn that the basis of Merrifield’s material for this play was ‘gleaned from a series of interviews with friends and colleagues of Ian Dury’s.
For Charlton’s ‘live’ sequences, Dury’s voice is blocked out on his legendary recordings, leaving the multi-talented musicianship of his band The Blockheads, who so suited Dury’s unique talents, for Charlton’s amazingly convincing delivery of one anthemic song after another in bursts of performance drawn from various concerts throughout Dury’s career with his long-suffering/underused (in terms of how consistently he employed them) band. Needless to say, Dury’s fans were ecstatic during these exciting interludes, clapping along at one point while Charlton impressively ad-libbed in character, no doubt encouraging those imbibing in Dury’s legacy for the first time to be hooked on his fervent outpourings forevermore. Charlton’s voice, mannerisms and delivery so totally captured the performances of Dury himself, that we were ironically and, rather miraculously reminded that Dury himself was the unsurpassed interpreter of his own work. During Charlton’s performance, he seems to inhabit Dury’s skin to the point that he almost makes you forget he is not the man himself! His stunning performance is undeniably Olivier worthy, if only the Olivier’s would get off their high horses and condescend to embrace London’s oft equal/superior fringe productions! Amen...!
As a figure of great charm and warmth, (when sober) and anger and rage (when drunk), the Rock n Roll legacy that Dury left behind must be forever enmeshed in the memories of those who knew him best, particularly his minder and friend, Spider, warmly and wonderfully played by Josh Darcy. It is understood, that although Spirder has the demeanour of a nightclub bouncer, he has a heart of gold. But it is always, Spider’s job to keep Dury in line and clean up his messes, until they get too personal, and then, even he has his limits, despite his great fondness for the man who ‘given him his bread and butter’ as Dury himself would have put it.
Producer Rappaport’s background in Documentary Film, along with Des O’ Leary’s technical expertise combine to highlight this paradox, in one instance, through clips of the actual disabled children’s school which Dury attended and others which refer to Dury (without showing him until after the fact), and The Blockheads in concert, so as not to disturb the audience’s allusions. The only ‘props’ in use apart from Dury’s trademark pearly king jacket, leather gloves and ‘leg iron and a telephone are a table and a couple of chairs, though with such a powerful script and intensely focused acting, no props are needed. History itself credits Ian Drury and his landed band The Blockheads with five hit singles between 1978 and 1980, though Jeff Merrifields exhilarating, heart-wrenching play, with its spot on embodiment of Ian Dury so incredibly rendered by Jud Charlton reminds us of the many reasons why there will never be another poet, performer or person even remotely like him again.
Throughout the course of his recording and performing career, Dury made his way down a spiralling path of reinvention that would inspire many a fan to rethink their own personas. These aspects of his personality, both public and private, are reflected in Middlefield’s insightful play, making it a hugely enjoyable, accessible experience for those who are already familiar with his life and legacy as well as those who are not. Thanks to the committed team of Jeff Merrifield, Jud Charlton, Josh Darcy, their producer Irving Rappaport and Technical Director, Des O’Leary, for shining their collective light on the strange and wonderful world of Ian Dury and the brilliant Blockheads who, will, with their help, continue to ignite the imaginations of all those around the world who love their music and share in Dury’s joys and sufferings through it.
www.thecourtyard.org.uk
www.paybackarts.co.uk
Tickets £15.00 (£12 conc)
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